Outside Ending Explained: Did Francis' Family Survive?

The ending of Netflix’s zombie horror Outside takes the tired trope of zombies not being the true monsters and applies it to a very dark and personal topic: domestic abuse. Outside follows the struggling Abel family as they return to Francis’ (Sid Lucero) childhood home to weather the zombie apocalypse. As it progresses, Iris (Beauty Gonzalez) expresses her desire to leave the house and take their sons, Josh (Marco Masa) and Lucas (Aiden Tyler Patdu) to a military camp. Francis, however, has other ideas, quickly becomes the real source of his family’s fear, and turns Outside into one of the best horror movies on Netflix.

In the final act of Outside, Francis’ abuse over his family both escalates and begins to unravel. After Corcuera (Enchong Dee) arrives and dispels his lies, Josh leaves the house to find help, Francis locks his family in the room he was abused in as a child, and he begins making even more irrational decisions. He kills and cooks the dog that raided the chicken coop, he stole Corcuera’s uniform and began wearing it, and he had some of his worst flashbacks to when his father used to abuse him. So much happened so quickly at the end of Outside that an explanation may be in order.

Why Francis Killed The Soldier & Took His Uniform

Almost everything Francis did in Outside was for one reason: to maintain his abusive control over his family. He accomplished that in a number of ways, from violence to emotional abuse, but his biggest weapon was his ability to lie. After the soldier, Corcuera, arrived, he began talking about the outside world. He told the family about Delta camp, the settlement Josh heard about on the radio, how few zombies were still around outside, and Diego (James Blanco), Francis’ brother, who he claimed had already died. Corcuera dispelled all of Francis’ biggest lies, and since he felt like he was losing control, Francis killed him.

Francis’ lies about the outside world were the main reason his family remained at the house. Iris would have demanded they leave for Delta camp if Francis hadn’t lied about the van being broken down and dismissed what Josh heard on the radio. Corcuera, however, took that avenue of control away from Francis, so he had to resort to another method: violence. Killing Corcuera was both a way to stop him from exposing Francis’ lies, but it also served as a warning to Iris. If he could bash an innocent man’s head in with a hammer, there’s no telling what he would do to her.

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One of the more confusing parts of Corcuera’s murder was the fact that Francis stole his uniform and wore it himself. That, however, was also a desperate bid for control. Lucas had carried his soldier action figure around everywhere, and Francis even mentioned that the toy would protect him. The reason Francis stole Corcuera’s uniform was because he desperately wanted Lucas to see him as a protector. He had already done so much harm to Iris and Josh by that point, however, that Lucas would never see his father as a source of safety again, so Francis tried to “become” his action figure.

Why Did Francis Start Helping His Family Again At The End Of Outside?

Despite the fact that Francis was quickly becoming more abusive and unhinged, in the final moments of Outside, he began helping his family again. When the zombified Diego attacked, Francis was locked in the basement, reliving the trauma of his childhood abuse. Iris and Lucas’ screams, however, were enough to snap him out of it and spur him to action. Then, after Iris had to amputate Lucas’ bitten arm, Francis realized that he needed to be a caring father again if he wanted his favorite son to live. So, for a brief moment, Francis prioritized his family’s safety over his need for control.

There were a few other reasons Francis may have started helping again. One of the biggest reasons may be because he broke down the door to the basement he was abused in. That room had a lot of significance to Francis – almost every time he entered it he had a panic attack and relived his childhood trauma – and being able to escape it may have helped him resolve his past trauma. Once he did, he may have been in a better mental state to help his family and realize how much he had harmed them.

It’s also important to note that while none of Francis’ actions or abuse can be excused, he is also a victim. Francis probably never wanted to become an abuser, but victims of abuse are six times as likely to become abusers (via the Office of Justice Programs). In a way, the lingering effects of Francis’ father’s abuse lasted long after Francis became an adult, as Francis essentially became the man he despised so much. Once he broke down the door, and once Lucas’ screams snapped him out of it, Francis may have decided to let go of his father’s hold on him.

The Deeper Meaning Behind Francis’ Watch In Outside Explained

After Josh shot and killed Francis on the bridge, the last time Outside showed the father was by closing in on his watch. When they first arrived at the house, Francis had taken the Rolex off his own father’s corpse, and he began wearing it as his own. The watch got special attention throughout Outside, and almost always after Francis did something abusive, like slamming his fist on the table or smacking Josh across the face. Francis’ watch is a symbol of the cycle of abuse he was trapped in: his father wore it while abusing him, and Francis wore it while abusing his own family.

Perhaps the most important part of the watch and its symbolism, however, was the fact that Josh didn’t take it off his father. Josh leaving the watch with Francis’ corpse may be a sign that he broke the cycle of abuse, and that he won’t have to become his father like Francis did. Francis had been emotionally neglecting and abusing Josh even before the apocalypse, mainly because he was the product of Iris and Diego’s affair, but Josh had the strength to leave Francis and his abuse behind, both literally and figuratively.

There are a few reasons why Josh might have been able to escape the cycle of abuse when Francis wasn’t. For example, Josh killed Francis, which might have given him the closure Francis never got with his own father. Francis’ final words, calling Josh “my son,” may have also been a type of apology, which would have helped Josh forgive himself and his father. On top of that, Francis returned to the house to save Iris and Lucas, whereas Francis always harbored some blame for Diego’s role in his childhood abuse, which may indicate that Josh is able to work through his trauma more healthily.

Why Iris Started Singing Her Wedding Song At The End Of Outside

The final moments of Outside showed Iris and Lucas sitting together, waiting for the van to return so Lucas could go to the hospital. As they waited, Iris began singing the same song that was on the tape of her and Francis’ wedding. Given how much abuse Francis had doled out by that point, it seems odd that Iris would recall such a happy memory with him, but she had a few possible reasons to sing the song again. The most likely reason Iris sang her wedding song again is because she needed one last act of love out of Francis.

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The lyrics of Iris and Francis’ wedding song are rather important – the song is about a woman telling her partner that even if they won’t love her tomorrow, they need to love her today. That’s essentially what Iris was doing at the end of Outside: she was asking Francis to show her one last act of love, even though she knew he didn’t really love her anymore. Iris needed Francis to get the van so that they could take Lucas to the hospital. It didn’t matter what happened tomorrow, as long as he pulled through and got the van today.

Aside from being a plea for Francis to show one last moment of kindness, the wedding song may have also been a sign of what Iris was thinking at that moment. For many couples, the wedding is the happiest moment of their marriage, and represents a high point in the entire relationship. That applies doubly for Iris, who was already unhappy before arriving at the Abel house. Iris may have been singing the wedding song because she was trying to remember Francis as the man she fell in love with and married, rather than the abuser he became.

The Real Meaning Of Outside’s Ending

Outside Is An Examination Of Cycles Of Abuse & Generational Trauma

For all its horror elements and its setting in a zombie apocalypse, Outside is a very personal story about cycles of abuse and generational trauma. The entire film is, essentially, about Francis being unable to escape the cycle of abuse and becoming his father. There are several places in Outside that showed how Francis was turning into his father: taking his watch, gun, and clothes, forcing Josh to learn to shoot, locking his child in the basement, and more. That, coupled with the multiple times Francis had flashbacks to the abuse he endured as a child, shows how he carried his trauma into adulthood.

Outside also dedicates quite a bit of time to showing how one person’s past trauma can destroy an entire family. At the beginning of the film, Francis and Iris had problems, but they could still live with each other. Josh and Lucas also admired Francis, and loved him like a father. By the end of Outside, however, Francis had destroyed everything: Lucas lost an arm, Josh had killed Francis, and Iris had been physically and emotionally abused numerous times.

Along with showing how generational trauma starts and its effects, Outside also shows how abuse is maintained. Francis was only able to abuse his family for so long because he did everything he could to maintain control over them. Francis used lies to keep them inside, violence to keep them obedient, and psychological manipulation – like burning the map, forcing Iris to tell the kids about her desire to leave, and his manufactured “heroics” – to keep them dependent upon him. Outside holds a harrowing candle to abuse, and exposes how it works.

The name of Francis’ family – Abel – is also symbolically significant. In the Bible, Abel was the first murder victim, after his brother, Cain, killed him. Cain and Abel’s parents were Adam and Eve, the first humans who were cast out of the Garden of Eden. Outside may have named the Abel family as it did to reference the fact that Adam and Eve’s Original Sin indirectly led to Cain murdering Abel, which may be an example of generational trauma. That Biblical reference serves as a distillation of Francis’ entire journey and the generational trauma he suffered from in Outside.

Source: Office of Justice Programs

Set in a remote Philippine province, a family escapes a zombie outbreak by seeking refuge in the father’s fortified childhood farmhouse. Despite their efforts to keep out the undead, they face equal horror and trauma within the ancestral home, revealing that safety is elusive both outside and inside the gates.

Director

Carlo Ledesma

Release Date

October 11, 2024

Writers

Carlo Ledesma

Cast

Sid Lucero , Beauty Gonzalez , Marco Antonio Masa , Aiden Patdu , James Blanco , Enchong Dee , Joel Torre , Bing Pimentel

Runtime

141 Minutes

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